Will Holden’s announcement that it’s to quit local manufacturing have an effect on the retained values of existing models?

Probably. That seems the way of things when such decisions are taken by manufacturers.

Exactly how much the values of used Holdens will tumble is anybody’s guess, however, and until the market votes with its wallets, it’s impossible to pluck a percentage out of the air.

But one model that may suffer more than most is the Holden long-wheelbase car; the Statesman and Caprice models.

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See, not only will they lose value in line with other Holden cars, these big cars have always been on the losing end of things when it comes to depreciation.

Simply, there’s a demand for them when brand-new that is simply not matched by those looking for a second-hand limousine.

And, as a result, you’ll only need to find another couple of thousand dollars to get into a Statesman over and above the short-wheelbase Calais from the same year and with the same running gear.

Which begs the question why you wouldn’t go for the bigger car, provided you have the space to park it.

Naturally, it’s not that simple and buying a Statesman or Caprice (they share their front half with a Commodore but get unique styling, such as grilles and bumpers, and bigger rear doors with more rear seat space) over a Calais requires a bit of research.

The biggest problem is that you unwittingly buy an ex-limousine that’s been used by a hire-car company or as an executive taxi by an airline or big hotel.

It’s not that the car in question will necessarily be used up, but these vehicles do tend to lead harder lives.

So the first thing to check is the mileage showing.

Average yearly mileage for a privately owned car these days is about 15,000km per year. So, any six-year-old Statesman with 250,000km on board is likely to have been used as a limo or for government work (they’re the politicians’ vehicle of choice).

Check the dashboard for holes where despatchers have been fitted and a radio aerial (or hole where it once was) in the roof or at the top of the rear windscreen is another good hint that you’re dealing with a car that was for hire in a previous life.

How does the rear seat look? If it’s leather and as wrinkled as the driver’s seat, there’s a fair bet it’s had a backside on it for most of its life. Again, a sign of an ex-limo.

A lot of hotel limousines were also fitted with the V6 engine, which is okay, but doesn’t do as good a job as the V8 of moving the relatively hefty Statesman.

An LPG conversion is another tip-off to the car’s past and, if there’s LPG fitted, we’d prefer the factory-fitted version rather than an aftermarket system.

By the time the WM Statesman arrived on the back of the VE Commodore platform (actually, it was the other way around, the architecture was designed as a long-wheelbase car first with the Commodore being spun off that) the alloy V8 had grown to 6.0 litres and had been improved generally over the 5.7-litre version of earlier models.

And while it’s still worth checking any late-model Holden V8 for ticking noises and oil leaks, the bigger, later engine is a much better thing.

The prime location for oil leaks is right where the engine mates to the transmission, but also check for other leaks such as coolant or power-steering fluid.

But we’d still dip the oil to check its colour (it should be brown and clean looking, not black and thick) and make sure it’s between the full and empty marks on the dipstick.

Any car with low oil makes us wonder what else the owner couldn’t be bothered with.

The six-speed automatic fitted to the V8 engine seems to be pretty faithful, too, but, again, make sure it picks up gears quickly and quietly without a massive clunk or bang as the car engages Drive or Reverse from Park.

By 2010, Holden decided the Statesman badge was due to be retired, leaving just the Caprice to soldier on.

As well as the extra luxury gear, the Caprice was actually the better drive anyway, thanks to slightly firmer suspension which gave it a sportier feel.

But that extra firmness also meant the Caprice was a bit more prone to squeaks from the interior plastics which, from day one, had not had a really quality look or feel.

Some owners have also reported squeaking from the door frames over bumps and rough roads and this seems to be the fault of the door rubbers.

The fix seems to be a light covering of talcum powder or graphite powder around the offending areas.

Make sure all the electrical doo-dads work, too. The Caprice, in particular, had lots of standard equipment and it all needs to work properly. The rear DVD player fitted to many could suddenly stop working, too, so if that’s important to you then make sure you try it out before you sign on the dotted line.

Big, powerful cars like the Statesman/Caprice are anything but fashionable right now as the world moves towards SUVs and hatchbacks with four-cylinder engines.

But as a family car for the big families out there, at these prices, the big Holden really takes some beating.

3 comments so far

How does such a great car only get 3.5 stars? Look at those dislikes. If it was not a great car, limo companies would not use them. In terms of size, many large dual cab utes are probally longer. Many cars have electrical problems, the difference here is these will be affordable to fix and probally wont cost lives. Lastly, hwo does providing a V6 option become a dislike? These cars are menat to be V8's.

Love the Caprice, make great value family cars.

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Dave S

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January 28, 2014, 9:57AM

It's not a great car. An S Class is a great car. Hire drivers predominantly own/drive them because they are much cheaper to run then something German, but don't kid yourself that it is in any way comparable except for maybe interior dimensions and engine capacity. It's a good car, great value even, but it's not 'great'.

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Problem?

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January 28, 2014, 3:53PM

The fact that the Statesman is a great car comes from the fact that it provides almost everything you can get on an S Class Benz from the same era and it'll cost about $150,000 less. At the end of the day, the maximum legal speed limit for both is only 110km/h so why waste all that money?